Saranac Irish Stout - Matt Brewing Company

dmamiano

West Virginia

2.88/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Deep dark brownisk black pour with a small head and minimal lacing.
Aroma had hints of metallic...oats, bready and hints of molasis.
Taste was smooth and fairly mild as expected.
A bit syrupy almast as if it was an extract brew.
Ok, but very mediocre at best. Will not buy again

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 00:51:09 | More by dmamiano

sluggermatt15

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- Dark brownish in color with a light brown lacing. About 1-2 finger head after poured from a bottle into a 12-oz. glass.

S- Definitely some malts, you can sort of smell the alcohol too. Not really that impressive.

T- Grainy, some bitterness to it. The bitter taste comes in near the end. There is also some dryness.

M- Nothing impressive here, some carbonation, but not too much.

D- Not that drinkable. I would only have 1. I think if I were to have more than one, I would have to have a glass of water on the side to counteract the dryness of this beer.

Overall I thought I was going to be more impressed with this one. However, if you are a fan of Irish beer or Irish stouts, I would say give this one a dry. It has a little less alcohol by volume than I expected (in the 6 % range). I bought a six pack of this and I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 02:11:48 | More by sluggermatt15

tchenery

Virginia

2.95/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. The color looks good, very dark. The offwhite head does not stick around like I had hoped. Thin lacing around edge. It smells heavy of raisins and dates and also smells slightly sweet.

It tastes of dark malts, but with nothing spectacular. There is some of the raisin-y taste to it but not much. It is bubbly on the tongue and does leave you dry. It's smooth, but just kind of basic.

It's a very approachable stout. There are no overwhelming flavors that would turn someone away.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2010 19:24:23 | More by tchenery

Schmidts

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours very dark with small head
Smell is of malt and Alcohol
Taste fairly Bitter and finishes bitter with a little malt in the taste
As far as mouth feel not anything exciting here just some more bitterness
One of these is enough I love a good stout but this one is taken over completly by its bitter taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2010 12:06:04 | More by Schmidts

Rayek

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It's St Patrick's day, so what better to review than an Irish Stout. Poured pitch black into a Perfect Pint glass. A foamy cream head has good retention and leaves bits of lace. The hyper fizzy body masks the flavors a bit. Letting the beer breathe helps calm things down. Flavors are not that great to me. Bitter coffee is the theme here. Roasted flavors dominate, but aren't helped by much else. Things get acidic in the finish. Overall, this didn't do it for me. There are better stouts out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 03:52:02 | More by Rayek

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a tulip pint glass...

A - Very dark brown body, with a frothy light-brown head. Good head retention and some lacing. Looks like a proper stout!

S - Lots of roasted, slightly burnt barley. Thus, the bitter chocolate and coffee notes. A bit of bread and earth in the scent as well.

D - This is quite dry and bitter. Starts out with a powerful roastiness, which then becomes the bitterness in the after-taste. Not much sweetness to it. Slightly sour.

M - Very carbonated for the most part. Medium-bodied, a bit too crisp for me.

D - Not bad. Not hefty, so quite sessionable for a dry stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2010 22:33:32 | More by NightINgale

mnrider

Connecticut

3.18/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. brown bottle. No freshness date.

A: Pours a pitch black color with a thin brown head. Little lacing.

S: Smells like a stout, but very subdued.

T/M: Like the smell it's very subdued for a stout. Still pretty good.

D: A decent stout, not great but still good. Nothing stands out and makes this brew better than any other of the average stouts out there.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 23:09:17 | More by mnrider

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a thick, long lasting, tanned head. Nose is of dark fruit and roasted malt. Medium, very sharp body. Roasted malt, some dark fruit and some off sour notes fill the mouth. Long, espresso like finish. So, so stout as everything from Saranac.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 21:18:41 | More by mikeg67

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Ba Review #271
Served On: 4/22/2013
Glassware: SA Perfect pint
Labeled ABV: -
Date/ Code: 06/30/2013

Another one from the 2013 spring mixed 12 pack from Saranac found at Evergreen Liquors in Frederick ($13.99).

Look: Fairly dark with some ruby red tinges coming through. Head was a thin light-tan coating with some random lacing. Not a bad looking brew.

Smell: Semi-sweet dark chocolate with some caramelized brown sugar and roasted coffee.

Taste: First off were notes of bitter roasted coffee beans. The some faint dark chocolate notes. The finish was very dry with a hint of coffee bitterness that lingered. Very thin body and mouth feel.

This was a basic Dry Stout. I was a little taken back by just how thin the body was. It seemed on the edge of almost being a Schwarzbier with some extra dryness.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 15:58:47 | More by CraftBeerTastic

ericmunley

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Found a Saranac Irish Stout display at the local Wegmans, and I was curious. As a man of proud Irish heritage, I grew up on Guinness, Murphys and the such.

I gave Saranac Irish Stout some extra love in the "appearance" category because the bottle is really slick. I hope they get a picture on here...if they don't I will gladly send BA one. Aside from the bottle, SIS pours the customary jet black with a very light tan head.

Smell doesn't do much for me. I haven't had some of the higher end Irish Drys, but most I've tried have a light yet distinct aroma. The beer's roastiness is pretty much the only thing present in the nose here.

Taste is average...what you would expect from this style. It tastes a lot like the Guinness 250 Anniversary beer. I'd love to see some progression in this style.

Mouthfeel...lots of carbonation, could do with less. I also miss this style on nitro, whether its tapped with a nitro mix or bottled/canned with a widget type deal.

Drinkability was the best thing about this beer (besides the bottle of course). At 5.5%, SIS is a little higher ABV than this style usually tops out at. With that being said, it is still very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 05:38:35 | More by ericmunley

IPAescotch

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice n dark very little head retention, very little head at all. well carbonated, very bubbly.
Soy sauce. this smells alot like soy sauce, probably as a result of the roasted barley. might have steeped at two warm a temperature/too low. somethings off here.
Tastes dry and well rounded as a matter of a fact. the soy sauce smells are covered up by the dryness and the sharpenss of the carbonation.
Tingles the mouth, glides down the gullet.
decent drinkability

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 00:31:15 | More by IPAescotch

SirSaranac

New York

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle*.... 5.5% abv

Well, I had been looking forward to trying this... most of Saranac's newest releases had been rather tasty, and although this isn't exactly a new release, I had never tried it prior.

This brew poured jet black... 2 finger frothy tan head. Lacing was nothing memorable.

The scent was rather one dimensional... roasted malt... but nothing strong.

Decent taste. A brief sweetness that quickly transitions into a smooth yet one dimensional coffee roasted malt. *shrugs*... It's smooth, with a nice creamy mouthfeel... and very drinkable. But if you're looking for a complex stout... look elsewhere.

Although I feel that this is better than Saranac's Mocha Stout, Oatmeal Stout, or Vanilla Stout (I've never tried their traditional stout)... I would still suggest either their Imperial Stout or Black & Tan over this.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 06:53:42 | More by SirSaranac

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A- pours a verrry dark brown...essentially black...with a half finger mocha colored head. Head fades quickly, but what little head there was laces nicely.

S- dark coffee and roasted malts. Aroma is...eh, a little weak. Would like this to be stronger.

T- huge burst of coffee to start...not strong coffee though, more of a standard pot you'd make in an office. Tastes good though...a little watered down, maybe.

M- decent thickness, but again, theres a watery quality to it...eh.

D- pretty drinkable. A lot like Guinness without the body

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 17:54:18 | More by bigfnjoe

aranheaney

New York

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

poured into a Guinness Pint Glass:

A-Inky black with a half-finger of creamy head

S-some roast, nothing out of this world

T-different, the dryness does come through, a little bitter on the backend

M-ok, maybe the after-taste detracts from it, but I'm not floored

O-maybe I was ruined by the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, but this is ok at best.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 23:49:29 | More by aranheaney

hayesez

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Received in a recent trade with Travduke.

Poured into my New Belgium globe. Pours a deep, dark brown that allows a fair amount of light through the periphery. A one-half inch light tan head reduces quickly, leaving generous amounts of thick lacing on the sides of my glass. Only a small cap of frothy head remains. By the end of this beer, large amounts of spotty lacing remain all over the inside of my globe. I am impressed with the appearance!

A strong smell of sweet chocolate leads the nose on this beer. A tiny amount of coffee follows, but the chocolate diligently remains. Roasty malts are integrated into both.

Upon swallowing, the flavor quickly disappears leaving me to wonder where the hell it went; it was gone so quickly! Roasty and malty, but really struggling to identify itself. There is a bit of chocolate in there and a small amount of metallic sweetness. At first I thought there was absolutely not bitterness on the end of this guy. But after several seconds, a gentle bitter aftertaste is left on the back of the tongue.

Light to medium-bodied with an average amount of carbonation. This beer isn't one to linger. Tipped back and gone, this leaves me wishing it would hang around a bit. I understand the dryness is related to the style, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I approve. Easy to drink, I suppose, but I'm definitely looking for a bit more.

Consumed: 3/8/2010

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 00:54:28 | More by hayesez

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours jet black with a tight foamy tan head. Lots of lacing.

Where is the scent in this one. I have to dig for french roast coffee and deep charred grain aromas. Some there, but hard to find.

A thinner/lighter flavor stout for sure. Dry for sure also. Deep dark malt, with some roasty hints of grain. Light sweetness in the background is overtaken by the bitterness, mild again, in the finish. I must say that though a bit weak, it is quite smooth. Nothing grainy or harsh, and the balance is right. Just turn up the intensity fellas.

Just right in the mouthfeel, with a lightness and tingle from the carbonation. Again, like all of their beers, they might have toned down the bubbles a notch.

An easy drinker, although you can do better. Much better than some of the brewpub I've had from the tap. An easy drinker for sure and nice to use as a comparison to others. Middle of the road, but actually ok.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 01:20:57 | More by OtherShoe2

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a dark brown-to-black coloring with light brown highlights around the edges and a thin, sparse, light tan coating on the surface. Aromas of mocha coffee, with a slight sugary ribbon to the chocolate character, and a touch of earthy characteristics. Flavors of roast and char initially, with a slick, bitter coffee backbone quickly following. Some bitter chocolate highlights, but not as much as the nose would lead you to believe. Aftertaste is rich chocolate and coffee, with a strong bitter undertone. Light, dry body with a slick, quick finish. True to the style, but a little more chocolatey and rich than you may be used to. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 22:04:16 | More by GarthDanielson

Justin23060

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Black with red to dark amber highlights and a one finger head. Smells chocolatey with no real hop presence as expected for style. Pretty dry from begining to end. Roasty but not smokey. Taste lingers just long enough. A little thin for the style but that didn't bother me so much because that made it more of a hot weather stout which is quite appropriate at the time of this review. I'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 21:28:21 | More by Justin23060

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat."

--Alex Levin

Burnt sienna that probably would not be opaque if the sun was above the horizon. One smooth pour produced almost three fingers of khaki colored foam that features several soft divits in its upper surface. This is pretty much what an IDS should look like.

Other than being on the weak side, the nose is fine. Pale (not appreciated) and roasted malt (appreciated) combine with Northdown and Goldings hops to provide the typical chocolate and coffee aromas of the style. Hops don't add much, which is no surprise.

Given the brewery, Irish Stout tastes and feels like it was expected to taste and feel. The brewery's website contains a graphic that puts each of their offerings on a scale of light-medium-heavy based on... color! This brew falls in the heavy range, presumably because it's dark brown-black.

Needless to say, Irish Stout isn't the least bit heavy. Nor does it have a ton of roasted malt flavor. Specifics include bittersweet chocolate, black coffee, dark caramel and a modest herbal hoppiness. Let's go with slightly above average and round up.

The body/mouthfeel is also slightly above average, but will be rounded down. The beer wanders away too quickly after tongue contact, which is usually due to a lack of malt. The carbonation, although a bit fizzy, is acceptable.

At this point, it's unlikely that The Matt Brewing Company will surprise me in either direction. Irish Stout is a serviceable Irish dry stout that was worth a single bottle purchase. A second bottle? No thanks.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 11:18:27 | More by BuckeyeNation

PrivateEquity

Kansas

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Black body with thin head

S - Coffee nose is a little underwhelming

T - coffee and chocolate malts provide good taste

M - mouthfeel is just okay, about right amount of dryness, a little watery. Needs more body to make it more robust.

O - Decent stout. Probably will have again in the future

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 00:39:42 | More by PrivateEquity

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Saranac- Irish Stout

A- Light cola black, heavy carbonation, and a small flimsy head.
S- Cola syrup sugary malt, light cocoa powder, and cream.
T- Sweet creamy milky cocoa powder with a light molasses, brown sugar malt body.
M- Sugary malt with a nice creamy feel. Dry earthy finish.

Overall- A bit light but creamy and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 02:17:27 | More by NJpadreFan

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz longneck. Consumed 3/13/10
A) Pours with a finger thick tan head. Slowly settles to a thin, sticky lacing. Opaque body.
S) Bready. Roasted grains. Caramel. Subtle hints of chocolate.
T) Slightly bitter up front. Then a bit dry and grainy sweet. Roasted grains. Smoky. The hops linger throughout.
M) A bit too bubbly. Full bodied but a little thin. Dry.
D) An alright stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 21:20:06 | More by u2carew

MaxBrews

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured Saranac Irish Stout into a standard American Pint glass.

You can pour this stout straight in and should probably pour it that way as it creates a big but not overbearing a Tan two finger a fluffy head full of bubbles. The color of course is pitch black but towards the bottom a little light shows through revealing a slightly purple hue. Once the head calms down there's a slightly sticky and fluffy lacing.

The aroma of this beer is beer is full of roasted malts that evoke a mixture of chocolate, caramel, nuts wood and bread. There's a small sent of dark fruits raisins mostly. There's a bitter scent that's hard to identify but I assume it's from whatever hops are used.

The taste is very similar to the aroma. It's full of roasted malt which to some could taste like coffee. Coffee I suppose is the best thing to compare this beer to. The taste is primarily roasted and finishes with a very coffee like bitterness. Not quite complex as a well roasted coffee, but the similarities are there. If served cold the beer tastes of English malts. The finish is like an oversteeped cup of black tea with a tiny touch of chocolate.

True to style this beer is light in body, however going against style the carbonation is rather high. There is plenty of bitterness in this brew which I find pleasant. Combined with the generous use of roasted malts this beer leaves the mouth parched hence the term "dry".

This is a pretty simple stout and drinkable stout. If that's what your looking for this is a decent choice. How true to style is it, I'm not sure as I don't frequent this style and it's impossible for me to compare to it Guinness since I haven't had one since I've become vegan a couple years ago.

I would be interested in seeing what this stout would be like served over nitrogen; if served with nitrogen it may provide the low carbonation and smooth micro bubbles that this style is known for. However carbonated with CO2 the carbonation is too much for this style.

I wish it were a bit more complex in the malt taste. I am stretching it a bit, pulling all sorts of things out of its simple roasted taste. I could see this being better with slight hints of caramel, vanilla and dark chocolate. Through and through this is a highly drinkable and simple stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 03:49:20 | More by MaxBrews

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a nice looking dark brown color. It's almost black in color. The head was a nice creamy looking tan color and left a decent lacing. The smell of the beer had the musty earthy roasted aromas going on. The taste was nicely toasted and left a pretty nice bitterness behind. The mouthfeel was a little thin. Overall I feel that the beer was decent, the body could have been a bit darker, it was almost see through. Just about everything was mediocre but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 20:24:22 | More by Knapp85

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.51/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown-black, with heavy bubbles rising to the surface of the body; creates a light tan head just about 1/4" in size.

Smell: Smells bitter, usually what expect from Irish stouts.

Taste: Feels bitter but still smooth, light bitter chocolate and hop feel.

Mouth: Unlike most "Irish stouts" this carbonation on the brew is a tad strong, borderline heavy...I have no complaints

Overall: Good beer to have, wouldn't replace my usual Irish stouts but definitely not a disappointment. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 03:12:45 | More by BlurryVisi0n